In this article, Riley explores the significant events that took place fifty years ago.
50 years ago, it was 1973. To put that into perspective, MTV did not exist and it had only been 28 years since World War II ended. 1973 saw many influential events that would shape American culture forever. The Vietnam War and Energy crises plagued both the economy and the people. What happened 50 years ago in the US?
The Vietnam War, which started in 1945, was a fight between the communist North Vietnam and the democratic South Vietnam. During this time, the US was facing the Red Scare, and anti-communist sentiment was widespread in American culture. In 1965, the US got involved with the war in Vietnam. Three years later, US citizens began to question the necessity of their involvement in the war. According to the U.S. Office of History, a group of historians hired by the state to record national history, “The Tet Offensive played an important role in weakening U.S. public support for the war.” The Tet Offensive was an attack launched by North Vietnam during the Tet holiday, which was historically a day of peace. The maneuver was launched in an attempt to demoralize the US military and slow down the guerilla attacks performed by the South. While this strategy ultimately failed for North Vietnam, it changed the mood of the war. Even though the South and the US were able to reclaim the lost territory, it was made clear to many in the US that the war was not close to being over. More violence, more protest, and more distrust happened before 1973 when the Paris Peace Accords ended the US military’s involvement in the Vietnam War. The involvement in the war left the US in a politically divisive state. A letter from Edward M. Kennedy—a former US Senator—said, “The nation can turn its attention to reconciliation and healing the wounds and bitterness created by this long and costly conflict.” Americans saw how many supplies and people were taken in this conflict and tensions began to rise.
The US already held distrust in the government, which was only worsened by the oil embargo. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) stopped selling to the US due to the Yom Kippur War. This embargo was created in retaliation to the US for supplying the Israeli military. Unfortunately, this ban from OPEC involved most countries supporting Israel in the war. The oil enterprise was already on unstable footing and was crushed by the barrier OPEC set up. The US oil economy practically relied on foreign oil. According to the US Office of History, “The efforts of President Richard M. Nixon’s administration to end the embargo signaled a complex shift in the global financial balance.” The US underwent a drastic economic shift and fuel shortage. In attempts to fix this President Richard Nixon began Project Independence. Project Independence was set to solve the need for foreign oil by creating an independent energy source for the US. On Nov. 7, 1973, Nixon explained Project Independence: “Let us pledge that by 1980, under Project Independence, we shall be able to meet America's energy needs from America's own energy resources.” It is important to note that Nixon was spurred on by the success of the Manhattan Project and the Apollo program. America was making extreme advancements in technology that saw nuclear power being used more often. This was mentioned later in his speech: “Let us set as our national goal, in the spirit of Apollo, with the determination of the Manhattan Project.” Project Independence faced extreme opposition due to the public’s distrust of nuclear energy. Unfortunately, the energy crisis continued and is still a common topic in debates.
At a time of division and distrust caused by the Vietnam War and the Energy crisis, American morale was at a low. This all spiraled out of control due to the Watergate scandal. Nixon was rerunning for president and the political climate was rough. It would become clear to Nixon campaigners that an aggressive tactic would be necessary to win. Their tactics grew so aggressive that they broke into the Democratic National Committee’s Watergate headquarters. The team stole copies of confidential documents and bugged office phones. Later, it was revealed that the wiretaps failed, so five burglars went back to fix the mistake. A security guard had noticed the door locks had been taped over which led to the burglars getting caught and arrested. After being alerted that one of the people arrested was a security guard for the Committee to Re-Elect the President (CRP), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was aware that this was not a normal robbery. According to the FBI, “the FBI immediately found itself involved in the most politically sensitive investigation in its history.” Nixon ended up getting reelected president after making a speech that claimed he and his staff had no involvement in the Watergate robbery; however, it was soon discovered that he had lied to the nation. Thousands of dollars were deposited into the burglars' bank accounts, and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) began impeding the FBI’s investigation of the event. The Watergate scandal was more than just a robbery. It was, according to the History Channel, “an abuse of presidential power and a deliberate obstruction of justice.” Nixon’s cover-up was not good enough to prevent conspiracists from believing something more serious occurred. A group of people began their investigation of the robbery. Eventually, an anonymous whistleblower known as “Deep Throat” came forward with the details of the scandal. He let the group know that Nixon had recordings of private conversations done in the Oval Office. If they could get the recordings, then they could have provable evidence of Nixon’s involvement with the Watergate robbery. Nixon was able to guard the tapes during the summer and fall of 1973, but his plans would begin crumbling after The Saturday Night Massacre.
The Saturday Night Massacre happened on Oct. 20, 1973. Nixon fired several officials from the Justice Department. The main enemy Nixon faced was Archibald Cox. Cox, the Watergate prosecutor, actively sent out requests (subpoenas) for tapes that Nixon had. After being denied access twice, Nixon offered to write out what was on the tapes for Cox. Cox denied this deal and the two were at odds until Nixon ordered Attorney General Elliot Richardson to fire Cox. He denied the order and resigned on his own. Nixon turned to Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus, who followed in Richardson’s lead. Finally, Nixon found Solicitor General Robert Bork, who was willing to comply with the president’s orders. In minutes, the White House called the FBI to search and close off the three offices of the men who lost their jobs. Unfortunately for Nixon, the events of the Saturday Night Massacre led to his resignation. Concerned telegrams flooded Washington, and several Congress members proposed Nixon’s impeachment. Even worse for Nixon, the tapes he had purged the Justice Department for to keep safe had been taken from him in 1974. This occurred due to Leon Jaworski, the newly appointed Watergate prosecutor, having the Supreme Court rule that Nixon was not allowed to keep the recordings to himself. This event led to Nixon's resignation from office. In Nixon's resignation speech, he said: “I have never been a quitter. To leave office before my term is completed is abhorrent to every instinct in my body. But as President, I must put the interest of America first.” Watergate had, for the most part, been concluded.
Looking at the past can give insight into events that occur today. The US is going through another oil crisis, and political distrust has skyrocketed. The events of Watergate made many aware of the leverage certain political figures can hold over elections. The scandal was so severe that now it is common to see events marked with “-gate” to show its wrongdoing. Fifty years ago saw extreme distrust and division in the US.